International Agency for Research on Cancer

About: International Agency for Research on Cancer is a government organization based out in Lyon, France. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Cancer & Population. The organization has 2989 authors who have published 9010 publications receiving 929752 citations. The organization is also known as: IARC.

Body size and risk of renal cell carcinoma in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC).

Abstract: Previous studies suggest that obesity is related to increased risk of renal cell carcinoma (RCC); however, only a few studies report on measures of central vs. peripheral adiposity. We examined the association between anthropometric measures, including waist and hip circumference and RCC risk among 348,550 men and women free of cancer at baseline from 8 countries of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). During 6.0 years of follow-up we identified 287 incident cases of RCC. Relative risks were calculated using Cox regression, stratified by age and study center and adjusted for smoking status, education, alcohol consumption, physical activity, menopausal status, and hormone replacement therapy use. Among women, an increased risk of RCC was conferred by body weight (relative risk [RR] in highest vs. lowest quintile = 2.13; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.16-3.90; p-trend = 0.003), body mass index (BMI) (RR = 2.25; 95% CI = 1.14-4.44; p-trend = 0.009), and waist (RR = 1.67; 95% CI = 0.94-2.98; p-trend = 0.003) and hip circumference (RR = 2.30; 95% CI = 1.22-4.34; p-trend = 0.01); however, waist and hip circumference were no longer significant after controlling for body weight. Among men, hip circumference (RR = 0.44; 95% CI = 0.20-0.98; p-trend = 0.03) was related significantly to decreased RCC risk only after accounting for body weight. Height was not related significantly to RCC risk. Our findings suggest that obesity is related to increased risk of RCC irrespective of fat distribution among women, whereas low hip circumference is related to increased RCC risk among men. Our data give further credence to public health efforts aiming to reduce the prevalence of obesity to prevent RCC, in addition to other chronic diseases.

p53 mutations at A:T base pairs in angiosarcomas of vinyl chloride-exposed factory workers.

Abstract: Mutations in the p53 tumor suppressor gene are commonly found in the major human cancers and the mutational spectrum in some cancer types is consistent with the genotoxic effects of the associated environmental risk factors. Thus far there is little information on p53 mutations in cancers of factory workers with a history of carcinogen exposure in the workplace. Occupational exposure to vinyl chloride causes liver angiosarcomas (ASL) and also increases the risk of several other cancers. Loss of p53 function in osteo- and fibrosarcomas can occur by two different mechanisms, p53 mutation and amplification of the MDM2 gene. We examined tumors from five vinyl chloride-exposed patients, four with ASL and one with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), for evidence of MDM2 proto-oncogene amplification or p53 mutation in exons 5-8. Amplification of MDM2 was not found, but in two of the angiosarcomas an A:T to T:A missense mutation was detected. p53 sequence analysis of vinyl chloride associated cancers may provide valuable information on the relationship between carcinogen exposure and DNA damage in cancer-related genes.

Design and methods of a population-based natural history study of cervical neoplasia in a rural province of Costa Rica: the Guanacaste Project

Abstract: This paper reports on the enrollment phase of a population-based natural history study of cervical neoplasia in Guanacaste, a rural province of Costa Rica with consistently high rates of invasive cervical cancer. The main goals of the study are to investigate the role of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and its co-factors in the etiology of high-grade cervical neoplasia, and to evaluate new cervical cancer screening technologies. To begin, a random sample of censal segments was selected and enumeration of all resident women 18 years of age and over was conducted with the aid of outreach workers of the Costa Rican Ministry of Health. Of the 10738 women who were eligible to participate, 10049 (93.6%) were interviewed after giving written informed consent. After the interview on cervical cancer risk factors was administered, a pelvic examination was performed on those women who reported previous sexual activity. The pelvic examination included a vaginal pH determination and collection of cervical cells for cytologic diagnosis using three different techniques. Additional cervical cells were collected for determination of the presence and amount of DNA from 16 different types of HPV, and two photographic images of the cervix were taken and interpreted offsite by an expert colposcopist. Finally, blood samples were collected for immunologic and micronutrient assays. Women with any abnormal cytologic diagnosis or a positive Cervigram, as well as a sample of the whole group, were referred for colposcopy, and biopsies were taken when lesions were observed. The enrollment screening will serve as the basis for a prevalent case-control study, and the members of the cohort free from serious disease will be followed actively, at intervals of no more than a year, to study the natural history of HPV infection and the origins of high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL). Details of the field operation are outlined, with particular reference to the realization of this kind of study in developing countries. Descriptive data on the prevalence of disease and exposure to various risk factors are also presented.